Kinetics of evaporation and gel formation in thin films of ceramic precursors.

Precursors derived from the hydrolysis of organic or inorganic salts have been widely used to produce ceramic coatings for a broad variety of applications. When applying the liquid precursors to the substrates, it is extremely challenging to control the film uniformity and homogeneity. The rate of solvent evaporation at different locations is different, causing the viscosity variation and flows in the film. There is very limited knowledge about the viscosity change in evaporating ceramic precursors. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the effect of evaporation on viscosity variation in thin films and droplets. We use magnetic rotational spectroscopy to study the time dependence of viscosity in mullite precursors. A correlation between the viscosity change and evaporation kinetics is revealed. This correlation was used to relate the change of viscosity to the concentration of mullite. A master curve relating viscosity to the mullite concentration was constructed and used to propose a possible scenario of the viscosity increase during solvent evaporation.